Wichita eagle., 1887-10-22
ABOUT POST0FFICES.
THE PERCENTAGE OF LOST LET
TIERS is EXCEEDINGLY SMALL.

THE PERCENTAGE OF LOST LEI
TIERS is EXCEEDINGLY SMALL.
The Loss of a Letter Should be Promptly
Reported to the Postal Service, with
All Available NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Re-
quest Envelopes.
There was a time when l used TO be rather
caustic in my comments about the vast num-
Der of letters that accumulated in the dead
letter department | attributed it to the
earelessness Of the government officials and
the ignorance and stupidity of the writers.
No alert, intelligent man, reasoned, would
misdrect O letter ] have different views
about the matter now, owing to an expert
ence of my own. 1t convinced Inc that /
could be stupid, too, and that my alertful-
ness was not as keen as / fancied 1t to be. L
had occasion to send letter to a certain
number on Market street, Wilmington, Del.
Receiving 10 reply, made inquiry and dis
covered that the letter had not been received.
1t wasn't owing to any fault Of mine, of
course, The postOffice was TO blame; it was
the result of turning out experienced clerks
NAAN' NANa
that A rigid search was instituted, and L
found that the letter had not reached its des-
tination because had written Market street,
Philadelphia, instead of Market street, VIII
mington. I had done it mechanically; it
came SO natural; Market street, Philadelphia,
was so pat in my mind that L could not get
it out of it. In fact land though you may
laugh at mel, | must be candid enough to say
that a month later directed another letter
to the same friend in the same thoughtlesS
manner
But do YOU know, after all, that the letters
which 20 ;ssfray are very small i'll proportion
to the number of letters handled. | have
not statistics al hand about our own city, in
this respect, but suppose that the letters lost
in the Boston postofIice bear about the same
relationship, and will, in fact, do for a gem
eral estimate of proportions. In that city,
during 1886, there were about 5000 instances
of lost letters out of 49,, G0O, 900 pieces han
died 10y the carriers. You will agree with
me that one letter out Of every &c, 100 letters
is an exceedingly small percentage, and that
the postoiiicc work is remarkably efficient In
the case OF the Boston postofiice the percent
age is still further reduced from the fact that
of the 5000 inquiries number were dupli-
cate inquiries, and that 10 per cent. OF the let
ters were subsequently found and properly
delivered. The most frequent losses are of
letters containing money. In utter disregard
of the conveniences provided by the govern
ment for sending money in registered letters
or IN the form of money orders. people will
persist in sending banl, bills and coin in or
binary lot:crS. 4 clerk with propensity to
steal soan comes to know by the sense of feel
Ing WIZ laiters contain money, aud doesn't
hesi:j,- appropriate them.
IN. INQUIRY Division
Winch Ia. los, of letter i discovered it
should b, promptly reported to the postal ser
vice. With al the particulars that IL /, possible
to state The matter is then referred 10 the
inquiry division in large postoiiices, and a
thorough search is instituted. When pack
age of merchandise is lost it Is often dis
covered by giving description of the articles.
The latter often become separated from their
wrappers During the holidays the large
offices have a vast pile Of articles OF this kind.
The instruction of letters is the most com
mon cause of their loss, and educated people
make nearly Us many blunders as the unedu
Gated, although there may he u difference in
the character OF the mistakes
am surprised 20 know that What is known
more largely used than it is Business houses
have generally adopted it, but its Importance
does not seem to be fully appreciated by pri-
vate correspondents II the number of days
is not specified. letters having merely an ad-
dress printed on them are held for thirty
DAYS. but the specification of ten, five or three
DAYS is pretty sure to result in their prompt
return in case they are misdirectei or missent.
,3.,. il bp
by tho department, but where letter is evil
IDENTIFY INSTRUCTED it is the rule in large post
offices TO return it Mt once to the sender for
correction of the address.
Putting ones address Oh the corner of al
envelope" says an exchange, mot only shows
who it is from but also prevents the letter
being ooened and read in the dead letter
Office Any one who is sensitive about haY-
ing his correspondence exposed would be safer
as q rule 10y using return request envelopes
than bv using plain ones Wherever his let
ter goes, unless il is delivered to another
party of the same name as the one addressed
or is actually stolen from the mails it is sure
to come back 10 him unopened. These return
requests can be gotten up in as dainty n style
q as the monographs and addresses ut the head.
of fancy stationery and they need not even
give the name Of the sender If it does not
seem desirable The number Of the postoflict
box with The name Of the poStofiire, is suff
cient and il can be printed on the Hap Of The
envelope as well as OH the corner. 1t is al
visable to write il on when il is nol printed
and there is any doubt about the correct adj
dress and prompt delivery Of the letter"
Ii every one would use return request en-
velopes the business Of the dead letter offic,
and the inquiry division OF poStoffices woulC
be enormously reduced, and the public CORE
spondingly better satisfied with the mail ser
vice observer" in Philadelphia Call
4 Glimpse 81 lincoln.
Mrs Hancock gives Us an interestin!
GLIMPSE Of The Martyr Presidents"